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The Love and Courage podcast features soulful audio interviews with inspirational people who have important insights and wisdom for our world today. Guests are typically people passionate about social justice, and who have demonstrated huge courage and conviction in their lives. People like Amanda Palmer, Marianne Williamson, Chuck Collins, Christy Moore, Sister Stan, Liam O'Maonlaí, Dil Wickremasinghe, Sunny Jacobs, Frances Black, and many more. The podcast reached no. 1 in the iTunes charts after its release and has remained hugely popular in Ireland and internationally.

About the host: Ruairí McKiernan is a multi award winning Irish social innovator, community campaigner, consultant, writer and public speaker. He is the founder of the pioneering SpunOut youth organisation, and helped set-up the Uplift and the A Lust For Life non-profits. In 2012 the President of Ireland Michael D Higgins appointed Ruairí to the Council of State, a constitutional advisory body. Ruairí is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Fulbright fellowship, and he contributes regularly to the media on youth, health, community and social justice issues.

This is independent community supported media. Once off and monthly patron support is hugely appreciated. This helps helps pay for production, post-production, transcribing, hosting, equipment upgrades, publicity, venue rental, and support for Ruairí's ongoing community, campaign and youth mentoring work. ​You can contribute as a once-off or a monthly patron here by debit, credit card or via Paypal or Stripe.

​Monthly patrons also get extra info and personal email updates with behind the scenes news and insights. Questions: podcast@loveandcourage.org

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You can listen to the podcasts through the SoundCloud links below but I'd really appreciate if you could use your phone App (especially iPhone/iTunes users) to subscribe, download, review, rate and share the podcast as this really helps it get it seen and heard. New podcasts released regularly. Stay tuned to email list for updates.

Short introduction episode

Johann Hari

Johann Hari is a British writer and journalist whose books have been international bestsellers. Chasing the Scream explored the failure of the global war on drugs and the follow-up book Lost Connections looks at depression and the social links to our mental health and wellbeing. Johan’s TED talk Everything You Think You Know about Addiction is Wrong has been seen by millions of people and he has attracted the support of people like Naomi Klein, Elton John, Glenn Greenwald, Russel Brand and Brian Eno as well as leading voices in the medical field.

Live event recording with Chuck Collins, one of America’s leading economic equality campaigners, a Senior Scholar at the Institute of Policy Studies, a co-editor of Inequality.org, an author of several books including his autobiography Born on Third Base, and a longtime advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders. Chuck is also well known for his incredible story of growing up in a life of huge wealth and privilege and how he ended up giving away his fortune. This is something he talks about in this interview as well as discussing topics ranging from Donald Trump and populism, philanthropy, the potential and prospects of people power, and his particular interest in the world of trees.

Amanda Palmer is a punk rock and cabaret musical legend, a member of the Dresden Dolls, bestselling author of The Art of Asking, and force behind the popular TED talk of the same name. She has made numerous albums, toured the world several times, been a global trailblazer in the world of crowdfunding, and helped shine the light for D.I.Y music success in the modern age. Amanda is married to well-known author Neil Gaiman and they recently had a child together, something we discussed as part of our fascinating conversation.

Sister Teresa Forcades is a Catalan medical doctor and Benedictine nun. She is an outspoken feminist, a fierce critic of capitalism, pro-choice on abortion, and an influential leader for Catalonian independence from Spain. A BBC profile of Sr Forcades referred to her as 'Europe's most radical nun'.

Luke Concannon is a fiercely passionate English singer-songwriter who, with his own record label, has sold millions of records across the world while keeping his feet firmly on the ground. Like so many English artists including Ed Sheeran, Oasis, Morrissey, Lennon and McCartney, Luke grew up in an English household rooted in Irish heritage and the traditions of family gatherings and sing-songs. His band Nizlopi achieved mass fame with their no.1 hit the JCB song which is written as a beautiful ode from a young Luke to his father.

​Nizlopi had a famously D.I.Y approach and their raw energy inspired a young Ed Sheeran to become one of their biggest fans. Ed cites them as a major influence on him and once spent 2 weeks on the road with the band learning the ropes.

​He has also recently recorded a song with Luke. After Nizlopi ended, Luke went through a period of reflection and discovery including what he calls a hitch-hiking vision quest to Palestine where he worked a peace worker. Now a solo artist living in Boston, he continues to invest in his music and is a powerful voice for love and justice with his words, his approach to life and his music.

World renowned spiritual teacher, author and lecturer Marianne Williamson, has for the past 35 years Marianne has been a popular voice in American public life, featuring extensively on television shows such as Oprah, Larry King Live, Good Morning America and Bill Maher. Originally from Houston, Texas, she is the author of 12 books, four of which have been no. 1 bestsellers, including A Return To Love, a book which led Oprah to become an important champion of her work.

A paragraph from that book begins with the words ‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure..’. You may recognise these words from Nelson Mandela’s historic inauguration speech. Marianne has always had a practical side to her writing, speaking and teaching. In 1989 she founded a meals-on-wheels programme that served homebound people with AIDS and she also co-founded the Peace Alliance.

In 2014 she ran for congress but was unsuccessful. However, as you’ll hear in this interview, this hasn’t stopped her political campaigning and by the sounds of it we may not have seen the last of her political ambitions.It was fascinating to learn about her remarkable life story when I sat down with her in her home near central park in Manhattan. I hope you enjoy the interview.

Siobhán O’Donoghue is one of Ireland’s leading community change makers. For over twenty years she has been blazing a trail to help improve the lives of others. Originally from County Clare in the West of Ireland, Siobhán is a former nurse who eventually got involved in youth and community work and in advocating for Traveller rights. She is a founding director of the Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland which she built up over 11 years, and more recently she has become the founding director of the Uplift campaigning organisation which has become one of Ireland’s most influential forces for people power. I’ve been part Uplift’s founding journey over the past few years and I currently sit on the board and in the course of this I’ve had the good fortune to get to know Siobhán and to learn a lot from her.​She constantly amazes me with her endless energy, enthusiasm, and dedication, and what I really love about her is that she manages to keep smiling and have fun in the midst of taking on so many big campaigns and struggles. The sound quality in this interview isn’t great so forgive me for this but I can assure you that you won’t regret listening to this fascinating chat with the wonderful Siobhán O’Donoghue. ​

Robert is an acclaimed artist and draft resister who risked prison for his conscientious objection to the Vietnam War. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1946, Robert is best known for his portrait series “Americans Who Tell The Truth” which he began as a personal response to the U.S war against Iraq.

He has painted 100s of Americans who he sees as beacons for truth. People like Amy Goodman, Edward Snowden, Joanna Macy, Noam Chomsky and Pete Seeger. Robert has traveled the world as part of the Americans Who Tell The Truth project and he has now started a non-profit organization that encourages students to explore models of courageous citizenship.I met Robert at the World Fellowship Center, a renowned social justice retreat and conference center in New Hampshire that was founded in 1941 as a place of sanctuary and recreation for people of all religions and races.

Robert, who now lives in Maine, shared his fascinating life story with me including incredible stories of the pressures he faced resisting the Vietnam war, the death threats he received as a young teacher in rural West Virginia, his decision to join the back to the land movement and how he became a self-taught artist. ​​Listen via your podcast app or iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, YouTube. Transcript here.

Chas Jewett

Native American Standing Rock activist Chas Jewett. Chas, or Red Morning Star Woman, is from the Lakota tribe in central South Dakota. Chas has been active in the environmental movement since a young age and during her youth she had to overcome abuse and huge suffering in her community. She has been a leading light in the Standing Rock movement that inspired the world with its dignified native led resistance to the Dakota access oil pipeline.

Chas is a community organiser who is passionate about reclaiming and honouring indigenous rights and traditions and ensuring her community finally starts to be heard. I met up with her during her tour of Ireland organised by Donal O’Kelly, Afri and various human rights and environmental groups. Her visit took place on the eve of the republic’s historic ban on fracking. ​​Listen via your podcast app or iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, YouTube. Transcript coming soon.

Ciaron O'Reilly

Irish-Australian peace activist Ciaron O'Reilly was once described by Martin Sheen as his personal hero. Ciaron grew up in Australia and has spent his life in the Christian anarchist pacifist Catholic Worker movement. Ciaron was mentored by the renowned anti-war priests Frs. Daniel and Philip Berrigan and for over 40 years now he has focused on supporting homeless communities and campaigning on Aboriginal, East Timorese, prisoner and refugee struggles. Part of this campaigning is explored in his book Remembering Forgetting: A Journey of Non-violent Resistance to the War in East Timor.​Ciaron has participated in numerous often controversial acts of civil disobedience – including the disabling of a B52 Bomber in New York on the eve of the 1991 Gulf War for which he served 13 months in U.S prisons. His actions also included disabling uranium mining equipment at the Australian Jabiluka mine site in 1998 and a U. S. Navy war plane at Shannon Airport during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

In recent years he has been a friend, bodyguard and solidarity organiser for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and has been a leading light in organising support for US army whistleblower Chelsea Manning.

Kathy Kelly is a renowned U.S peace activist, author, a founder member of Voices in the Wilderness and now Coordinator for Voices for Creative Non Violence. Kathy is a long-time resident Chicago where she is heavily involved in community organizing. She has travelled to Iraq over twenty five times, including during the early days of the Iraq war and she has spent time in war torn Afghanistan and Palestine.​In the course of her activism Kathy has been arrested over 60 times for her non-violent actions and has served several prison sentences. Now in her mid sixties she continues to travel the world as a courageous voice for peace and a justice.

Eamon Stack is a happily married former priest who has a background in peace and justice work, including during the conflict in the north of Ireland.

In 2006 he co-founded a charity and social enterprise called Enclude and as chief executive he has led it become the largest IT charity consultancy in Europe and they have now started working in Venezuela and elsewhere.

Ellen Dorsey is the Executive Director of the Wallace Global Fund, a private foundation focused on progressive social change in the fields of environment, democracy, human rights and corporate accountability. It was set up by Henry A. Wallace, a former visionary vice President of the United States who championed what he called the ‘common man’ in the struggle to prevent financial elites attempts to control politics and the planet’s resources. Wallace once said the following words: “I am committed and do renounce the support of those who practice hate and preach prejudice; of those who would limit the civil rights of others; of those who would restrict the use of the ballot.” ​The world needs this type of leadership more than ever and as you’ll hear now, Ellen is a worthy torchbearer of Wallace’s legacy. A former political science professor, she is a leading campaigner in the movement for divestment from fossil fuels and has helped steer over 155 foundations to divest from coal, oil and gas. She previously worked for Amnesty International and at one stage was Chairperson of Amnesty International USA. She also served on the board of Greenpeace USA and various other leading progressive organisations. Based in Washington DC, Ellen is a powerful voice of hope and justice and I found her take on politics, philanthropy and people power to be refreshing and uplifting. I hope you enjoy this interview with Ellen Dorsey.

Recorded at the Body&Soul music and arts festival in front of a live audience.

​Senator Lynn Ruane is fromTallaght in Dublin, Lynn is a senator and campaigner for drug reform and other social justice issues, as well as being a powerful voice for many of those unrepresented in our political system. An early school leaver and single mother of two, she got away from a life of drugs and went on to set up addiction programmes before becoming a mature student, a student union leader, and more recently, entering the world of politics as an independent senator. Now in her early 30s Lynne is a passionate force for change.

Joe Caslin is also in his early 30s, Roscommon born Joe Caslin is a street artist and school teacher who lives in Tullamore. He made international news with the Claddagh Embrace, a giant street art work featuring two men embracing, which he launched during Ireland’s 2015 marriage equality referendum. Joe is a tireless educator who goes above and beyond for his students. The loss of several of his students to suicide motivated him to create works for a project he called Our Nations Sons. His latest project, The Volunteers, uses large scale provocative street art to draw attention to drug addiction, mental health and the issues affecting Asylum Seekers in the Direct Provision system.

Hyeonseo Lee was born in 1980 in North Korea, a country she thought was the best on the planet’ until she witnessed great suffering and starvation. At the age of 17, she left her family behind and escaped alone to China.

Hiding her identity for ten years, her life in China was far from easy and she eventually decided to flee for South Korea. There she faced further challenges when the authorities initially didn’t believe she was North Korean. Some time later she returned to China where she met her family and travelled to Laos in order to bring them to join her in South Korea.

However the family were caught and imprisoned in Laos until an Australian backpacker helped pay for their release. Hyeonseo is the author of an acclaimed book, the Girl with Seven Names, and her TED talk has reached well over 10 million people. While still struggling to adapt to her new freedoms, she travels extensively sharing her story and telling the world about what is happening in North Korea.​Click here for Soundcloud link or download from your podcast App.

Alastair McIntosh

Alastair McIntoshis a well-known Scottish author, Quaker, environmental activist and visiting professor at the University of Glasgow. Born and raised on the isle of Lewis of the west coast of Scotland, the birth place of Donald Trump’s mother, Alastair is a passionate voice for change on land reform, cultural renewal, climate change and global peace and justice.

Dil Wickremasinghe is a broadcaster, comedian, journalist and social entrepreneur who grew up in Italy and Sri Lanka before moving to Ireland 16 years ago. Dil’s incredible journey has involved struggles with her Jehovah’s Witness parents who disowned her in her youth because of her sexuality. Dil is a courageous survivor of sexual abuse and has overcome depression and thoughts of suicide to transform her life in amazing ways. She has been a flight attendant, a dish washer, a recruitment consultant and lots more.​Dil arrived in Ireland in June 2000 with little savings and no plan of what she was going to do. Since then she has become a national figure championing social inclusion, love, and justice in a world that so badly needs it. Part of this work is her award winning Global Village national radio show on Newstalk.

As if all that wasn’t enough Dil is also the co-founder of the Insight Matters counselling centre which reaches 100s of people on a weekly basis. Click here for transcript and audio.

John Lillis

​John Lillis is a DJ, producer and teacher, based in the West of Ireland. He is one third of the Rusangano Family, a high powered hip hop act who in 2017 won the Choice Music Prize, Ireland’s biggest music award. Growing up in rural County Clare, John immersed himself in music culture - collecting records and entering radio competitions daily. His approach has always been a D.I.Y one and he has been a major part of growing the hip hop movement in Ireland. A passion for community music and event management led him into the field of youth work, an area that has deeply inspired his creative work and thinking. When not touring the world, supporting Snoop Dogg or hanging out with Ed Sheeran, John is back in his beloved Clare helping empower the next generation of musicians.

Frances Black is a well known Irish singer, campaigner, politician, addiction counsellor, and social entrepreneur. She achieved fame early in her life as part of Irish folk super group Arcady and then later with her family in the band the Black Family. She featured on the renowned Woman’s Heart album which became the biggest selling Irish album of all time. Frances has recorded a total of 10 solo albums to date and has toured the world including the U.S, New Zealand and Iraq. Frances battled with alcohol dependency in her twenties and went on to become an addiction counsellor before setting up the Rise Foundation in 2009 to support families affected by various forms of addiction. In 2016 Frances surprised many people when she entered the world of politics and was elected as independent Senator. Full transcript here.

Ray McGovern

77 year old Irish American New Yorker Ray McGovern is a veteran CIA officer turned peace activist. He was a CIA analyst from 1963 to 1990, including during the administrations of John F Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and George Bush senior. Ray’s duties included chairing National Intelligence Estimates and preparing the President’s Daily Brief. He received the Intelligence Commendation Medal on his retirement, returning it in 2006 in protest at U.S involvement in torture.

​In 2011, during a speech at George Washington University by Hillary Clinton, McGovern, stood silently with his back turned during her remarks. This led to him being arrested and badly beaten while the secretary of state continued her speech about the need for freedom of expression in Egypt and Iran. Ray was later added to the State Department's Diplomatic Security list of potential threats. In 2013, McGovern, along with three former winners, gave the Sam Adams Award for integrity in intelligence to Edward Snowden. Full transcript here.

Sr. Stan

Sr. Stan is one of Ireland’s most well known and respected social visionaries. She is a founder of four leading Irish organisations - Focus Ireland, the Sanctuary, the Immigrant Council of Ireland and Young Social Innovators. Now in her mid seventies, she has been a tireless voice for justice for over fifty years and has been a huge champion for the benefits of mindfulness and meditation. A former member of the Council of State, a keynote speaker, and an author of numerous books, Sr. Stan remains a vocal voice for justice.. In 2014 she was voted Ireland's greatest woman in a major Irish national newspaper poll. Interview ﻿﻿transcript.﻿﻿

Chuck Collins

Chuck Collins is one of America's leading economic equality campaigners. He grew up in Detroit and went to school alongside some of the elite the United States including former Presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Chuck could perhaps be known as the man who gave away all his money after he chose to give away a massive inheritance in his twenties.

Chuck is a powerful voice for justice, he is a Senior Scholar at the Institute of Policy Studies, he's a co-founder of several organisations and projects, an author of several books including his new autobiography:

Born on third base. Part of Chuck’s work involves works with millionaires and billionaires to encourage them to share their wealth and he co-wrote a book on this topic alongside Bill Gates' father, William H Gates. I interviewed Chuck at his home Boston in the run up to the 2016 US Presidential election. (Interview transcription here).

Sunny Jacobs

Sonia 'Sunny' Jacobs spent 17 years in prison, including 5 in solitary confinement, for a crime she didn’t commit. Sentenced to death at the age of 28 for the murder of two police officers in Florida. When she was imprisoned, her two young children were cast into the foster care system.

Nearly 17 years after her arrest, Sunny’s conviction was overturned on appeal. Her story, along with those of five other wrongfully convicted death row inmates, became The Exonerated, a play put on by the nonprofit theater, The Culture Project. ​

Sunny is the author of Stolen Time: One Woman’s Inspiring Story as an Innocent Condemned to Death. www.sunnyandpeter.com

​About the interview: I have been friends with Sunny for several years now and was honoured to be interview her at a Cruinnu Na Casca public event in Newman church Dublin on Easter Monday 2017 as part of a series of events on the theme of freedom organised by Kathy Scott and the team at the Trailblazery. (Interview transcription here).

Professor Ivor Browne

Ivor Browne is an 88 year old retired Irish psychiatrist, author, former Chief Psychiatrist, jazz musician and Professor emeritus of psychiatry at University College Dublin. Educated in Harvard, he is known for his opposition to traditional psychiatry, and his scepticism about psychiatric drugs. Browne has experimented with LSD as part of therapeutic process.

Well known friends and supporters include Colm Tóibín, Sebastian Barry, Mary Coughlan. In 1993 he had a famous run in with the Catholic Church when he spoke out in support of Phyllis Hamilton and her children after the Catholic Church denied that her two children were fathered by Fr. Michael Cleary. Ivor’s life is the subject of the 2017 documentary film ‘Meetings with Ivor’ directed by Alan Gilsenan and produced by Tómas Hardiman. ​

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Thanks also to all the interviewees and to patrons and supporters who have helped make the magic happen including: Dara Twamley (sound engineering), Barry Dempsey (production support), Dave Curran (Inspireland), Michael Conlon (Michael Meets), Richard Lawson, Susie Q, Gary Dunne and so many others.

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